With over 20 years of nursing experience, Sarah Welborn knew that taking on the role of Lead Nurse Supervisor for Morgan County Schools was about more than overseeing 18 school nurses and substitutes across 16 campuses — it was about protecting lives.
“My nurses are excited to have a program that is keeping an eye on their AED at all times. Previous to Avive, they were making manual rounds monthly. Getting real-time alerts with REALConnect has been fantastic so far — and I like it on the administrator side because I can see the whole fleet of AEDs.”
From managing student medications to running emergency drills, Sarah Welborn set out to modernize the district’s approach to school health. One of her top priorities: improving how the district managed its Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
Alabama law requires that every public K-12 school has at least one AED on-site and a trained staff member ready to use it. A newer law added an additional requirement — any coach traveling with students for athletic events must bring a portable AED along.
Sarah began looking for a solution that could streamline AED oversight, improve accountability, and ensure full legal compliance. That’s when she discovered Avive. Intrigued by its advanced features, she reached out to a nurse in a neighboring district already using Avive’s Connect AED. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Backed by a state grant, Sarah secured funding to purchase 27 Avive Connect AEDs for Morgan County Schools, with plans to expand and eventually replace the entire fleet of varying devices.
Rather than mandating where each AED should be installed, Sarah empowered her school nurses to make those decisions based on their campus layouts. High schools placed AEDs near front offices and athletic facilities, while elementary and middle schools typically chose high-traffic areas like cafeterias and main entrances. Every device was connected to Avive’s REALConnect™ platform, giving Sarah and her team live insights into each unit’s location and status, with instant alerts for any maintenance needs, delivered directly via text or email.
The district’s nursing team has especially appreciated Avive’s AllRescue™ Technology, which helps address response disparities in Sudden Cardiac Arrest, especially among women, children, and non-English speakers. With a significant Hispanic population in Morgan County, the AED’s in-rescue Español Button has proven invaluable, allowing responders to switch audio and visual instructions from English to Spanish instantly.
Another standout feature: the gender-inclusive design. Avive’s AED is the first to feature female-representative visuals on-screen and on the electrode pads. It also provides explicit instructions to remove a bra, helping reduce hesitation and delay in treating women during cardiac emergencies. For Sarah, these seemingly small details meant big improvements in the likelihood of a successful response.
With her leadership and the dedication of Morgan County’s nursing staff, the district is now more prepared than ever to respond to cardiac emergencies, whether they happen in the classroom, on the field, or during travel.
“It has been so eye-opening to see a new product on the market that is doing things that are on the forefront of cardiac event management.”
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